Recreational type vehicles have the floor level a substantial distance above the ground level for clearance making a step necessary for gaining access.
A variety of different types of step assemblies have been provided for such access. There is still a need for a safe, convenient, durable and easy to operate step assembly for recreational vehicles and the like.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,575,615 to Crump discloses a retractable step assembly having two steps supported from a vehicle floor but the side linkages do not extend out at a substantial angle from the vertical and no locking arrangement or drive arrangement is disclosed.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,682,671 to Faure extends the side linkages out from the vertical at a substantial angle but does not provide an actuator and drive shaft arrangement to both move the linkages and release a locking arrangement.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,073,502 to Frank discloses the use of a biasing spring to move the step to a lowered position and a diaphram to retract the step while U.S. Pat. No. 4,020,920 to Abbott discloses the use of a hydraulic-pneumatic actuator connected to the lower step. In neither of the disclosures does the actuator both power the release of the locking mechanism and act upon at least one of the side linkages to positively drive the linkages to both positions through a common rotary drive shaft.
Additional retractable step structures are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,116,457, Nerem el al., and 4,185,849, Jaeger.